Method of and apparatus for felting fibrous articles



J. J. BLUM July $19, 1938.

METHOD 0F AND vAPPARATUS FOR FELTING FIBROUS ARTICLES Filed Aug. 51, -19256 2 SheetS-Sheetl 1 J. J. BLUM 2,124,103

METHOD OF ANDAFPARATUS FOR FELTING FIBROUS A RTICLES July 19, 1938 2 sheets-snaai Filed Aug. 31, 1955 I j (S,

Patented July i9, 1938 METHGID OF AND APPARATUS FOR FELTING FIBROUS ARTCLES Jerome J. Blum, Olean, N. Y., assigner to Arvey- Ware Corporation, Olean, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 31,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for felting bers, and more especially to the felting of bers ina manner to produce an article, such as a shingle, that is tapered in thickness in the direction of its length. Heretofore several types of bers have been employed, and in some instances iibers of one kind have been used exclusively, while in other instances an admixture of diierent types of fibers, has been used. In producing shingles it has been the recognized practice to either pretreat the bers, or the felted shingle may be treated with suitable materials such as for waterproofing, increasing strength, durability, etc.

The advantages of using tapered shingles as compared with shingles which are of uniform thickness have long been recognized. It is known that shingles of uniform thickness when laid in overlapping courses leave gaps or spaces above the upper edges of said shingles between the overlying shingles and the roof proper. In order that such type of shingles serve their purposes reasonably satisfactorily, they desirably must be somewhat flexible to permit them to be bent over the upper edges of the under course of shingles so as to lie relatively flat on said under shingles. However, shingles that possess a high degree of iiexibility are open to a serious kobjection in that they are liable to be raised or bent upwardly by the wind, exposing the under side to rain and snow and thereby decreasing the weatherproong qualities of the shingled roof.

Tapered shingles obviatethe above mentioned dilhculties, and the shingle produced by the present invention has the further advantage of being more rigid and thicker at its exposed or butt ends than it is possible to form such shingles by cutting them from brous felted material. Furthermore, the shingled roof is more substantial and attractive in appearance.

One of the objects cf this invention is to provide a felted shingle which is tapered'in thickness in the direction of its length, and wherein the fibers at the thick end of the shingle are of greater density than at the thin end..

Another object is to provide a novel method and apparatus for felting fibers in a manner so that the panel or wall of the body of the felted object varies in thickness from one end toward the other. f

A further object resides in the provision of a novel method of and apparatus for expeditiously and economically producing felted brous shingles which vary in thickness in the direction of their length.

1936, Serial No. 98,665

In brief, the process constituting the present invention comprises, immersing a foraminated form in a body of aqueous-brous pulp, which is of variable density, and applying vacuum or suction in a conventional manner, to the interior of the form when it is so immersed for causing the fibers to be deposited upon the form and become intertwined land interlocked to gradually felt and build up to a desired thickness. When the desired thickness is obtained the form is removed from the aqueous-fibrous pulp and the suction ork vacuum is disconnected to permit removal of the ielted article. By reason of the stratification of the aqueous-fibrous pulp body, .it will be apparent that the thickness of the felted mass will vary from one end of the form toward the other.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. l is a view in side elevation of the pulp tank and associated apparatus, constituting the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a section through the foraminated form taken as indicated at line 2 2 on Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a tapered shingle produced by the present invention.

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of modified forms of tapered shingles which may also be produced by the method and apparatus constituting this invention.

Figs. 6 and 'I are views similar to Fig. l showing modied forms of apparatus for carrying out the present invention. These constructions diier from the construction represented in Fig. 1 in -that the form is reciprocably moved. In Fig. 6 the form is actuated by means located above the pulp tank, while in Fig. 7 it is actuated by means disposed below the pulp tank.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the tank or receptacle indicated at I Il contains a body of stratied aqueous-fibrous pulp indicated at I I, which varies in density from the top to the bottom of the tank. The lower portion of the wall of the I tank is formed semi-cylindrically, for accommodating a form which moves in a rotary path as Will be presently described. The pulp stock is supplied to the tank adjacent its bottom by means of a conduit I3, as seen in Fig. 1, and water is introduced into the tank adjacent the upper L level of the pulp body, through the conduit I4. If, desired, the water introduced through the conduit I4 may be the return water extracted during the process of felting the' shingles. The water is added at the top of the tank to insure maintainlng the pulp at the upper portion of tank at a density less than the lower portion of the tank.

J ournaled in the wall of the tank is a horizontally disposed hollow rotary shaft I'I which carries a radially extending hollow support I8, the end of-which supports and connects interiorly with a hollow foraminated form indicated generally at I9, This form is of conventional construction having its face provided with a plurality of parallel grooves 29 having apertures 2I connecting said grooves with the interior of the form I9, such as shown in detail in my Patent No. 2,006,626. Mounted over the slotted face of the form is a foraminated plate 22 having a plurality of perforations 23, a major portion of which perforations communicate with the grooves so that the aqueous carrier of the pulp solution may be drawn through the perforations 23 to the interior of the form by the action of vacuum. To insure producing a fibrous body having a relatively smooth and uniform-surface and to insure substantially uniform distribution of the effective vacuum a ne gauge wire screen 25 is positioned upon the plate 22, as is well understood in the art.

In the construction disclosed in Fig. 1 the .foraminated form is mounted for movement in a rotary path by rotation of shaft I1, by means not shown, and it may be understood that vacuum is not established through the form until it is totally immersed in the aqueous-brous pulp solution. Upon establishment of vacuum inthe f orm the aqueous carrier of the bers is withdrawn through the member I8 and shaft I'l, while the bers are caused to adhere to the screen 25 and become intermeshed and inte1twined,in other words, felted together, for producing a wall of desired thickness. Due to the stratied condition of the pulp solution, the thickness of the shingle which is indicated at 26, will necessarily be greater at the lower or buttA end than at the upper end, and necessarily and desirably the thickness of said shingle varies gradually in the direction of its length. It will be apparent that as suction or vacuum is established through the conduit I'l the aqueous carrier is' removed from the tank or receptacle I0, and because said carrier may contain a quantity of small or ne fibers, it may be desirable to re-employ this aqueous carrier in the continuous felting operation. carrier water may be returned to the tank through the conduit I4, which water serves to maintain the pulp body in the tank I0 in a stratified condition, and thus maintains pulp body more liqueied or thinV in solution adjacent the upper level than at the lower portion of the tank.

It may be understood that any number of foraminated forms may be mounted on the hollow shaft I'I, and it is also to be understood that vacuum or suction if desired may be automatically controlled so that when the forms with the shingles felted thereon have been removed from the pulp solution, the vacuum or suction is disconnected so as to permit the .shingle to be stripped from the form. To assist in removing the shingles from the forms air pressure may be employed in the hollow oraminated form.

Therefore, this described by merely substituting a foraminated form, the exterior operative contour of which is shaped to correspond to the desired final shape of the shingle.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6 the pulp tank Illa is of rectangular form and the pulp supply conduit I3 and water conduit IIIa are connected to the bottom and to the upper portions respectively of said tank. The foraminated form I9 is connected to the lower end of a vertically reciprocable hollow member I8, which is connected to a source of vacuum or suction, and is imparted motion by conventional means not shown. In this construction the foraminated 'form is immersed in the stratied brous pulp solution II, by the downward movement of the member I8a, and When'said form is fully immersed, suction is established through member I8EL and the form I9, for causing the bers to become felted upon the screen 25 of the foraminated form, thus producinga tapered shingle in substantially the same manner as described in connection with Fig. 1.

The construction disclosed in Fig. '7 is identical with that disclosed in Fig. 6 with the exception that the foraminated form I9 which is mounted for vertical reciprocable movement is carried on the upper end of a hollow member IIlb which extends downwardly through the bottom of the tank through a packing or gland IUC. 'I'he hollow member I8b is connected to a source of suction and the deposition of fibers on the screen, 25 of the foraminated form I9, is effected in substantially the same manner as in connection with the apparatus above described.

It is to be understood that in the constructions disclosed in Figs. 6 and '7, there may be a plurality of foraminated forms hooked up in a bank for simultaneous operation. As described in connection with the structure disclosed in Fig. 1, the vacuum or suction is not discontinued until the ioraminated form is entirely removed from the pulp body, at which time the shingles may be stripped from the forms and if desired such action may be assisted or augmented by air pressure on .the interior of said forms.

Although I have herein shown and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, manifestly it is capable of modication and rearrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. I do not, therefore, Wish to be understood as limiting my invention to the specific apparatus and method herein disclosed except as I may be so limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of producing a felted fibrous article, the body of which varies in thickness from one end toward the other which comprises, immersing a hollow foraminated form in an aqueousbrous pulp body so that portions of said form are at a diierent depth in said aqueous-fibrous body,-

introducing a relatively concentrated aqueousfibrous pulp into the lower portion of said pulp body, introducing an aqueous `diluent for said pulp into the upper portion of said body for maintaining said aqueous-brous pulp body at a fiber density which increases from the top to the bottorn of said body, the variation in ber density being assisted by gravity due to the tendencybf the suspended fibers to settle to the lower portion of said pulp body, applying suction to the interior of the foraminated form for 'felting bers thereon, removing the form from the aqueous-fibrous body and discontinuing the suction.

2. A continuous method of producing felted fibrous articles each of which varies in thickness from one end toward the other which comprises, periodically immersing a hollow foraminated form in an aqueous-fibrous pulp body so that portions of said form are at a diierent depth in said aqueous-fibrous body, continuously introducing a relatively concentrated aqueous-nbrous pulp into the lower portion of said pulp body, continuously introducing an aqueous diluent for said pulp into the upper portionof said pulp body for establishing said aqueous-fibrous pulp body at a ber density which increases from top to bottom of said pulp body, the variation in ber density being assisted by gravity due to the tendency of the suspended fibers to settle to the lower portion of said pulp body, applying suction to the interior of the foraminated form while the same is immersed in said pulp body for felting bers thereon, and periodically removing the form from the aqueous-fibrous pulp body and discontinuing the suction.

- 3. A device for producing felted fibrous shingles which vary progressively in thickness from one end to the other in the direction of their length which comprises, an open topped receptacle adapted to contain a body of aqueousbrous pulp which increases in fiber density from the top to the bottom of the body, means for introducing a suppl-y of aqueous-brous pulp of relatively high concentration into the lower portion of the receptacle, means for introducing an aqueous diluent of said pulp into the upper portion of said receptacle, a foraminated form of a shape and contour conforming with the shingle to be felted, means for passing said form downwardly through the open top of said receptacle and into said aqueous-fibrous pulp body to submerge said form inthe pulp with its length vertical, means for establishing a condition of vacuum within said form while portions of the length of said form are immersed in diierent densities `of the pulp body, and means for removing said form and felted fibers carried thereon through the open top of said receptacle.

4. A device for producing felted brous shingles which vary progressively in thickness from one end to the other in the direction of their length which comprises, an open topped receptacle adapted to contain a body of aqueousbrous pulp Ywhich increasesin ber density from the top to the bottom of the body, means for introducing a supply of aqueous-fibrous pulp of relatively high concentration into the lower portion of the receptacle, means for introducing an aqueous diluent of said pulp into the upper portion of said receptacle, a foraminated form of a shape and contour conforming with the shingle t0 be felted, means for passing said form vertically downward through the open top of said receptacle with its length vertical, means for establishing a condition of vacuum within said form while portions of the length of said form are immersed in diierent densiti-es of the pulp body, and means-for moving said form and felted fibers carried thereon vertically upward through the open top of said receptacle.

5. A device for producing felted ibrous shingles which vary progressively in thickness from one end to the other in the direction of their length which comprises, an open topped receptacle adapted to contain a -body of aqueousfibrous pulp which increases in ber density from the top to the bottom of the body, means for introducing a supplyof aqueous-brous pulp of relatively high concentration into the lower portion of the receptacle, means for introducing an aqueous diluent of said pulp into the upper portion of said receptacle, a foraminated form of a shape and contour conforming with the shingle to be felted, means for passing said form along a vertical arc downwardly through the open top and into the pulp body to dispose the length of the form vertically, means for establishing a condition of vacuum within said form while portions of the length of the form are immersed in different densities of the pulp body, and means for moving said form and felted fibers carried thereon along a vertical arc upwardly through the top of said receptacle.

JEROME J. BLUM. 

